Smart Cities: The Next Talent Frontier

Google Maps is more than just a convenient app. Its a powerful example of the dramatic changes society has recently undergone.

Not long ago, the digital world and the real world were separate entities. Sure, they communicated, but they werent inextricably intertwined like they are now. If you wanted directions, you had to print out the MapQuest itinerary (remember MapQuest?) ahead of time. Now, you plug an address into Google Maps and the app guides you there in real time, all the while monitoring traffic andadjusting your route to avoid delays.

The rapidly closing digital-physical divide certainly makes life easier, but thats not all it can do. The intersection of technology and everyday life is also giving rise to brand new economic ecosystemsecosystems that employers can leverage for top-tier talent.

As the physical and digital worlds are coming together in our daily lives, we see a tremendous opportunity, says Suman Mahalanabis, head of product management for TCS Digital Software & Solutions, which develops enterprise customer and urban analytics software.[That amalgamation of the physical and digital] is what drives economic development in Smart Cities.

Smart Cities: Better Quality of Life Through Technology

Smart Cities: The Economic and Social Value of Building Intelligent Urban Spaces, an eBook from TCS and the Wharton Schools online business analysis journal Knowledge@Wharton, explores the concept of the Smart City in great detail, but essentially, the name refers to any city with an agenda to drive sustainable, environmentally friendly economic growth by integrating new technologies into its operations.

Generally speaking,Mahalanabis says that Smart Cities have three key focuses:

These three focuses are intimately tied together in a single ecosystem, as Mahalanabis calls it. For example, an initiative tocut a citys carbon emissions would create new jobs in a variety of fields, from solutions engineers who could formulate an executable plan to construction workers who could install solar panels around the city. And by lowering emissions, the initiative would reduce air pollution in the city and improve citizen health.

Sustainable growth, economic revival, and citizen engagementall in one project.

[Smart Cities agendas] are laid upon a fabric of IT and communications connecting the city to various aspects of technology that can support sustainable growth, Mahalanabis says. The city has stakeholderscitizens, government bodies, businesses, public organizations, etc.who all participate in that common project, leading to multidimensional growth.

Many cities around the world have already successfully adopted Smart City agendas, including Charlotte, North Carolina, which cut energy use in 50 companies by 17 percent on average through the use of smart meters, energy-efficient lighting, and data analytics; Seoul, South Korea, which used data analytics to create a viable late-night bus service and advertise the service to workers who would be most likely to use it; and Medelln, Colombia, which cut homicide rates by 80 percent through a series of neighborhood intervention programs, improved infrastructure, and the cultivation of a tech-company friendly environment.

How Smart Cities Lead to Better Jobs and Better Talent

All cities are competing for talent, saysMahalanabis. Smart Cities are about creating local jobs and creating ecosystems. Now that our lives are connected even more, our cities can be, tooand thats where we see new economies being built.

Peace River Regional District
Deputy Chief Administrative OfficerFull-time Exempt Position
Join the Peace River Regional District team in the mighty Peace Region of northeastern BCworld renowned for our friendly people, spectacular outdoor recreation and linkages to the Yukon and Alaska.
More »

Graphics Technician - City Design StudioRequisition ID:4129
Company
The City of Vancouveris striving to become the greenest city in the world by 2020 and we are proud to be one of BC's Top Employers, Canada's Best Diversity Employers, and one of Canada'sGreenest Employers.
More »